Construction safety has made significant strides when it comes to ensuring every job site is a safe job site. Through the use of human intervention, technology, information, and routine review of industry best practices, the modern jobsite is safer than it’s ever been. By protecting the physical well-being of workers and ensuring each team member understands what it takes to be safe, looking out for each other is part of the ����Vlog code.

However, progress rarely stands still, and the well-being of our employees and everyone on the job site goes beyond their physical health. It’s equally important to protect the mental health of employees and our extended trade partner teams by providing critical resources and training tools to address mental health concerns.

For the 2026 edition of Construction Safety Week, we’re excited to dig even deeper into the wellbeing of our employees and partners by providing critical mental health resources across our company.

Worker Wellbeing Starts with Us

Steps we’ve taken in recent years to provide some of the most robust safety solutions in the industry include new technology tools that track worker training and jobsite check-ins, mobile-based training curriculums, and hiring bilingual safety professionals to ensure we don’t miss recruiting the industry’s best talent because of a simple language barrier. In doing so, we have instilled confidence in our employees that we are committed to their health and safety when working for and with ����Vlog.

Our leadership team has also been trained to address mental health concerns no matter how or where they occur. Mental health emergencies often strike without warning, as stresses pile up, and events from personal lives begin to take a toll. Central to the ethos of Construction Safety Week is the idea that we are all in together when looking after each other, and ����Vlog will continue to provide the latest training resources to help navigate the impact of mental and emotional challenges.

In some ways, training our leadership to be able to spot potential mental health events is no different than participating in First Aid/CPR training: we may not ever need to use it, but everyone is safer by having jobsite and office leaders familiar with the latest in lifesaving techniques. Current data suggests roughly personally who has ended their life by suicide, which provides some context for how significant the mental health crisis is in our country.

Safety is Constantly Evolving – and So Are We

As 2026 continues to progress, ����Vlog has already enhanced our Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) to account for mental health support; increased visibility on our jobsites for mental health support services and resources, such as signage for the Massachusetts 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; and tracking the latest methods for mental health support to ensure all employees have the tools and resources necessary to address mental health concerns in the workplace and more importantly, at home. The challenge of mental health will not be solved quickly, but as we celebrate the significance of safety on all our jobsites, ����Vlog is proud to be all in together when making sure our people have every tool at their disposal necessary to address whatever life throws at them.

The post Mental Health: The Next Frontier of Construction Safety appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

As with any evolution, it’s important to consider what’s next even while celebrating progress.

Women now represent 11 percent of the construction workforce, its highest share in two decades. However, there’s still far more territory to explore as it relates to advancement and strategy with female leaders front and center. The construction industry is experiencing significant change and new pressures stemming from worker shortages to rapid technological shifts – and the time has never been better to embrace different perspectives and fresh talent.

Leveling up to new opportunities

The theme of the 2026 WIC Week campaign is “Level Up.” This can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but the most important angle to consider is how we celebrate what women in construction have achieved to date while looking at the next frontier of their careers. This is done not only through recruitment but by building internal programs that educate our workers and provide them with opportunities to evolve.

Here at ����Vlog, we are proud of the women who work for us and continue to upend the status quo. We have female executives among our leadership personnel, in the field, and on our project management teams. They all provide perspectives that have challenged us to create more opportunities for all employees and to invest in new software tools that .

Put simply, ����Vlog has learned how to thrive in new ways thanks to the women we go to work with, shoulder to shoulder, every day of the year. They inspire us with their ability to meet challenges head-on and excel both on and off the jobsite. When it comes to leveling up, women in the construction field have been pushing us all forward for some time.

Never stop moving

In construction, there’s no opportunity to slow down. Deadlines have to be met, innovation must flow, and clients need to be wowed. To do that, we need a future-proof workforce that is armed with perspectives and talents that help us never stop reaching the next level. Women have shown us here at ����Vlog how essential they are to our success, and we know our peers and clients feel the same way. WIC Week is indeed about leveling up, and perhaps we already know the theme for next year: never take your foot off the gas.

Congrats to all women in construction and thank you for your impressive achievements to the A/E/C industries.

The post How jobsite transformation is empowering women appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

As we close on 2025, it’s gratifying to reflect on how ����Vlog has played a role in bringing some of these developments to life. Some of our newest projects include an exciting mixed-use property in metro New York; a new high-rise in Westchester County; and other residential and commercial developments in the pipeline.  In addition, we are well underway on the construction of Willow at the Ridgeway, a much-needed affordable senior housing development that will replace an outdated low-income community that had exceeded its useful life.

Across all of these projects, a unifying theme stands out: local leaders’ ability to utilize smart growth strategies like form-based code and targeted incentives to attract outside development. Instead of simply building to build, city leaders from Yonkers to West Hartford are analyzing how to best address community needs while respecting the fabric of those cities and towns – and ����Vlog is excited to partner with both public and private organizations to transform blighted areas into desirable places to live and work.

Smart Policy Attracts National Developers

In addition to local leaders putting the proper fundamentals together to get projects out of the ground, we’re also encouraged by efforts at the federal level to spark development. Bringing interest rates down has certainly helped inject some much-needed confidence into the local real estate market, and we continue to see a steady pipeline of projects coming to fruition. Further, we’re encouraged by developments taking shape in project-ready areas like the Yonkers waterfront, downtown Stamford, CT, and Port Chester and New Rochelle.

It’s also important to consider where developers are coming from to pursue work in the tri-state region. ����Vlog is currently working with Anthony Properties of Dallas, TX on the Spark on Cedar development in Newington, CT, a market-rate residential community. Anthony has expanded eastwards in recent years, and the city of Newington presented an attractive opportunity to redevelop an underutilized site in an area ripe for rebirth. As a construction manager that is deeply ingrained in the communities we serve, we look forward to more opportunities to work with our partners at the city and state level across the tri-state area to help bring impactful projects to fruition. From making healthy, affordable housing accessible to all to propelling revenue-generating projects forward that create jobs and ongoing economic development opportunities, ����Vlog is proud to be the construction partner on these and other smart-growth developments.

The post Tracking Opportunity in the Tri-State Region appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

For clients and owners, winter conditions may seem like a fact of life, and sometimes, an inconvenience that threatens progress. While both can be true, the ����Vlog team also sees the winter season as an opportunity to power through challenging conditions that ensure jobs stay on-time and avoid costly overruns that can occur due to poor planning.

Prepping for the winter season involves multiple stakeholders, and the entirety of the project team working together to share insights and information that ensures decisions made as early as July pay dividends in January. Let’s take a look at the ����Vlog approach to winter site preparations.

Planning Now Avoids Pain Later

Yes, we really do begin sketching out our strategy for winter shortly after the fourth of July holiday. Why, you ask? One of the biggest reasons involves heat sources. ����Vlog’s Operations and Self-Perform Division (NESB) begins soliciting input from any project that is out of the ground in the summer months for the quantities of heaters and BTU they will need and clarifying which fuel source the project intends to use. Additionally, if a diesel heater is requested, and a fuel cell is required, NESB will need to construct a jersey barrier “farm” around it, which necessitates ordering the requisite number of barriers in advance of winter’s arrival. A liquid propane heater configuration requires a similar tank “farm” surrounding the heater and propane tanks.

However, prep work goes well beyond just the number of heaters and fuel sources, as placing an order for over 2,000 gallons of propane requires an actual license from the town where the project is located. If you haven’t tried to get a license versus a permit lately, you may not be aware that procuring a license takes significantly longer. At the moment, ����Vlog is in the process of securing multiple licenses, an effort that began in the summer months. In addition, our team notifies abutters that we have applied for a license to have heat sources on site, which offers a glimpse into how technical a seemingly simple process is.

Other efforts our site division and operations team collaborate on include procuring ground thaw heaters, one of the “hottest” items for any construction team working in winter conditions; servicing and testing ����Vlog-owned equipment, including excavators, loaders, and bulldozers; determining which job sites need rock salt versus urea (a natural and concrete safe way of melting ice); and of course, compiling winter conditions budgets and sharing with project owners so they have a transparent look into pricing and how decisions that are made now can save money later on.

Safety – A Four-Season Approach

The ����Vlog safety team is just as active during the summer months and works together with NESB and operations to prep jobsites for colder conditions. When it comes to heating in-progress buildings to ensure pipes don’t freeze, required temperatures are maintained for building materials and so that workers are not subject to working in freezing temperatures. Other steps include fireproofing and temping in windows, and this preparation goes hand-in-hand with installing heaters. However, when a storm hits, the safety team kicks into high gear.

If a blizzard or other serious weather event is in the forecast, our teams implement a clear-it or close-it approach. This translates to clearing primary ingress/egress areas and closing off all other access points to the in-progress building. The primary goal is to direct workers to entering via one central location(s) for accessing the structure, which limits the potential for slips and falls. By keeping workers to one path when the snow hits, crushed stone can be spread to ensure maximum traction and cleared continuously throughout the workday. In addition, Toolbox Talks are held to discuss how workers can maintain a constant body temperature, dress appropriately, and protect themselves from falls from the upper floors. It may seem elementary, but repeatedly discussing safety strategy protects jobs from downtime and added costs. At ����Vlog, a culture of continuous improvement ensures that the work we do all throughout the year pays dividends when it matters most. From pre-construction planning that protects allowances for winter conditions in project budgets to proactive planning that ensures critical equipment and licenses are procured well in advance of the first flake of snow, the ����Vlog team works tirelessly to keep jobsites active and safe during the winter season. Learn more about our approach to pre-construction and safety on our website.

The post Preparation Makes Perfect: ����Vlog’s Winter Conditions Strategy appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

Inclusion at ����Vlog is a culture-first commitment because it’s not a policy, it’s a mindset. It’s woven into how we hire, how we mentor, how we collaborate, how we build, and how we show up in the communities we serve. We believe that when people feel seen, supported, and inspired, they build better. They reach new career heights. They become mentors, innovators, and changemakers. That’s why our diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts are embedded in everything we do, from company-wide initiatives to the daily rhythms of our project teams.

Our D&I Vision: Opportunity for All

����Vlog’s D&I goals are rooted in a simple but powerful belief: everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive. We’re focused on:

• Creating pathways for underrepresented talent to enter and advance in the construction industry;
• Fostering a culture of belonging where every voice is valued, regardless of background, identity, or role;
• Building strategic partnerships with minority- and woman-owned subcontractors to expand access and representation; and
• Empowering employees to lead change, both within our company and in the communities, we serve.

These goals aren’t just aspirational, they’re actionable. And they come to life every day on our jobsites.

Inclusion Starts on the Ground

At the project level, inclusion drives performance, morale, and innovation. Here are a few ways we’re making it happen:

• Mentorship and Exposure: Through our Constructing Communities program, we host job shadowing and site tours for local students, turning active construction sites into living STEM classrooms. It’s about planting seeds of possibility and showing young people that they belong in this industry.
• Empowering Emerging Businesses: Inclusion extends beyond our internal culture; it shapes how we do business. We actively seek out partnerships with minority- and woman-owned subcontractors, offering mentorship and guidance to help these businesses build capacity and confidence. These relationships aren’t just good business, they’re essential for building a more equitable industry.
• Listening and Leading: Inclusion is daily practice. On our projects, we prioritize open communication, celebrate diverse perspectives, and create space for every team member to contribute meaningfully. Whether it’s through toolbox talks, team huddles, or informal check-ins, we’re building a culture where people feel safe to speak up and step up.

Rising Tide: Giving Back with Purpose

Inclusion also means amplifying the voices and values of our employees. That’s where ����Vlog’s Rising Tide nonprofit comes in. This employee-driven initiative allows our team members to nominate and support causes that matter most to them, often rooted in personal experiences or community connections.

Rising Tide reflects the heart of our culture: one that listens, uplifts, and acts. Whether it’s funding local youth programs, supporting health initiatives, or contributing to disaster relief, our employees shape the impact we make beyond the jobsite. It’s inclusion in action, where every story matters and every contribution counts.

Culture First, Always

For us, inclusion means showing up with empathy, curiosity, and respect. At ����Vlog, we believe culture drives everything. When our teams feel connected to a shared purpose and supported by a family-driven environment, they build with heart, and that’s reflected in the quality of our work.

From corporate fit-outs to affordable housing communities, our projects reflect the strength of our people. We see firsthand how diverse teams deliver exceptional results, exceed client expectations, and elevate the standards of our industry. This Construction Inclusion Week, we proudly celebrate the collective achievements of our teams, our partners, our communities, and we reaffirm our commitment to building a future where everyone belongs. We invite our peers across the industry to do the same: embrace inclusivity and commit to creating spaces where all voices are heard, valued, and empowered.

The post Inclusion is a Culture-First Commitment at ����Vlog appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

����Vlog Construction Managers will be hosting a trade career fair on Saturday, October 4^th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Narragansett Middle school located at 460 Baldwinville Rd, in Baldwinville, MA. 

This is an incredible opportunity for trades people to work on a meaning project in Templeton, MA. ����Vlog Construction Managers is leading the renovation and repurposing of a former school building into 54 new affordable housing units—bringing much-needed housing options to the community. This project represents more than just construction—it’s about breathing new life into an existing structure while creating safe, quality homes for local families. 

Trade partners will be in attendance to recruit for the following positions: 

• Laborers
• Rough Frame Carpenters
• Finish Carpenters
• Roofers
• Masons
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Other Skilled Trades

Be sure to bring copies of your resume, and for additional information, contact Anastasie Duffaut at aduffaut@callahan-inc.com. 

The post ����Vlog to Host Trade Job Fair for Templeton Construction Project  appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

����Vlog Construction has worked with communities like Boston as well as cities and towns across the Northeast to get these projects out of the ground to provide safe, healthy living spaces for the most vulnerable members of society. Some of our current projects include Willow at The Ridgeway in Yonkers, The Baldwinville School Apartments in Templeton, Mass., 52 New Street in Cambridge, Mass. and Lee Fort Terrace in Salem, Mass.

While it is accepted that affordable housing is in demand, there are multiple considerations that developers and community housing agencies should consider before embarking on a new affordable initiative. Here are a few aspects of this evolving market that ����Vlog is watching.

The Impact of the Community in Successful Project Delivery

Increasingly, ����Vlog is seeing a drive to make affordable housing communities as sustainable as possible. This includes the adoption of Passive House building standards, a performance-based energy efficiency standard for buildings that prioritizes the comfort and health of the occupants. Though LEED is still relevant, Passive House takes a different approach that focuses on the end-users as a guiding light for sustainability goals. With the large-scale adoption of opt-in stretch code, Passive House will begin having an outsized role in affordable construction.

Community engagement is also a key driver of making affordable housing projects more impactful than ever. A healthy dialogue between the project team and community leaders, such as city managers and housing authorities, leads to better information gathering and ultimately, a building design that reflects the desires of the community that will live there. In addition, job fairs that promote local hiring, along with meeting ambitious MBE and WBE goals, bring the community together in a profound way when it comes to creating safe and affordable residences. ����Vlog works hard to cultivate these relationships and give constituents a voice while investing in the local workforce.

Finally, to ensure every member of a project – from the owner to the developer to the subcontractor – has a stake in the result, ����Vlog encourages teams to get involved early in the pre-construction phase to ensure the final product aligns with budgetary requirements. In addition, ����Vlog has implemented stricter compliance requirements on its jobsites via technology tools like LCPtracker, a cloud-based SaaS solution for certified payroll, construction site compliance, and workforce reporting, to ensure workers on affordable projects are paid fairly and on time.

Helping Owners Ensure Successful Outcomes

One of the most sure-fire ways for communities, developers, and owners to ensure project success is to be informed about local and federal requirements for affordable housing. ����Vlog routinely works with stakeholder groups to promote successful project delivery, and has found the following tips to be useful for teams tasked with determining the viability of a project:

• Understanding tax credits: getting a handle on what tax credits are available for affordable housing projects is a critical first step before ground is broken; making this assessment early in the process – rather than after the community has “bought in” – is essential for determining if the project can be sufficiently funded.
• General contractor lender requirements: When a lender gets involved in potentially financing an affordable housing project, they often look to the track record of the general contractor/construction manager in building similar projects, which includes not only the quality of the finished product but the company’s financial strengths as well.
• Labor rates for construction: labor rates vary by market, so developers and owners can’t rely on data from one project to be relevant in another area of the country, or even within the same state. Understanding the impact of local labor rates before finalizing scope and budget is essential for having a clear picture of what you can afford to build.

For more information on ����Vlog’s affordable housing experience, click here.

The post The Evolution of Affordable Housing Communities appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

At ����Vlog, we’ve been fortunate to expand from our headquarters in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to additional markets like Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. In the case of the Granite State, an active pipeline of projects around major metropolitan areas has combined with lower costs and reduced regulatory complexity to make it a compelling place to do business.

Over the next several years, we expect to see continued growth across all ����Vlog markets, and below you will find some key data points that excite us about future activity north of Route 128.

Attractive Economics and Statewide Support 

Numerous measurement tools point to New Hampshire’s status as an economic powerhouse, but this status isn’t achieved through heavy fees and generous tax breaks to large corporations. The Granite State leverages a low tax burden on both individuals and businesses to keep its economy humming, while a booming tourism industry relies on the state’s dominance as a playground for outdoor recreation as a reliable source four-season income.

According to , New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation industry is responsible for over 30,000 jobs and adding almost $4 billion to the state’s economy. Couple this with zero income tax for residents, no sales tax, and no inheritance/estate taxes, and you have a recipe for a very financially friendly existence. Even the business profit tax rate is quite competitive, .

The construction industry is also a major economic driver, with the United States Census Bureau reporting at the end of 2024 that the value of state and local construction in NH in 2023 was $1.18 billion, representing a over the prior year.

New Hampshire’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is another example of a strategic advantage for local businesses, as it works to help with all manners of issues, from permitting requirements to cultivating a strong workforce. In addition, economic development agencies at the local level are also a tremendous resource, as we personally experienced working closely with the City of Manchester’s Economic Development Office during the construction of the 75 Canal residential community and currently with the city of Salem as we march towards completion of the Tuscan Village mixed-use project.

Compared to other New England states, New Hampshire’s regulatory environment is often friendlier, allowing for speedier time-to-market when it comes to launching new projects. For instance, Massachusetts’ plan for decarbonization is quite ambitious, with policies like BERDO and BUEDO beginning to be replicated outside of Boston. While New Hampshire also has instituted a Climate Action Plan, the impact of this policy has fewer hurdles and economic penalties attached. While all climate policy is essentially “good” policy, New Hampshire’s approach allows for greater flexibility when it comes to building or renovating commercial structures.  

While no one place is perfect, ����Vlog is excited to see New Hampshire get the recognition it deserves for the sensible approach it has taken to regulatory and tax policies and leveraging its strengths and people to spur job creation and economic growth.

To learn more about ����Vlog & our projects, visit our website.

The post Finding Business Friendliness in New Hampshire appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

Will provides valuable insight on quality and highlights the importance of early involvement, lessons learned, and continuous improvement in maintaining high construction standards.

This episode emphasizes new roles within our QA/QC team, the value of pre-planning, and how our energy efficiency efforts, like Passive House initiatives, are helping shape the future of sustainable building.

to watch the full episode of Digging Deep. 

The post Blog Post – Digging Deep #4 – Quality on the Jobsite  appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.

Connecticut Leading the Way

On a national level, affordable housing is lacking in almost every major metro area. State and local leaders are grappling with ways to create more activity in historically tight real estate markets, and Connecticut continues to serve as a model for using existing buildings along with creating smart development packages to spur activity and investment. There are some key trends worth noting that showcase how Connecticut is leading the way:

• Adaptive reuse of former schools and vacant office buildings is helping affordable housing projects kick off in places like Groton and Stratford;
• Focusing on transit-oriented communities that attract residents and developer activity are fueling new projects in Clinton and Hamden, as well as an exciting project that ����Vlog is overseeing in downtown Newington at The Spark on Cedar;
• Initiatives to spur affordable housing development are moving forward in Connecticut, with leaders focusing on areas that have led to affordable projects stalling or getting cancelled in other states; for example, zoning incentives and legislation that prevents towns from banning affordable housing are being considered.

Ground Up and Adaptive Re Use Are Options in Connecticut

Looking ahead at projects in the pipeline or close to kicking off, we expect that Connecticut will continue to leverage adaptive reuse to push residential projects forward. In addition to the sustainable impact of reusing versus knocking down and building new, existing structures in an formerly industrial economy like New England are typically located near transit hubs or other intersections of people and commerce.

We also expect that projects incorporating an affordable component will see increased incentivization from lawmakers and strong support from the developers that want to bring those properties to market. Connecticut leaders have found ways to leverage tax incentives and other resources to spur much-needed affordable housing activity, and we expect this will only accelerate in the coming years.

State and Local Agencies Help Spur Construction

Finally, it seems likely that lawmakers will continue to look for ways to streamline projects from concept to reality, especially if it adds needed housing stock to statewide inventory. The Spark on Cedar development is a fantastic example of the project team of Anthony Properties, Perry Reid Properties, the Town of Newington, and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) working together to bring a project to fruition, and we at ����Vlog look forward to being part of similar projects in the year ahead

The post Checking in on the Connecticut Construction Economy appeared first on ����Vlog Construction Managers.